There are ugly games, and then there is what transpired in Waco, Texas on Wednesday night.
In its worst loss since 1990 (122-75 against UNLV), the Long Beach State men’s basketball team saw its season come to an end as it fell 112-66 at Baylor in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
Baylor star Pierre Jackson — who led the Big 12 in scoring and assists averaging 19.8 points and 6.5 dimes a night-saw himself removed from the starting lineup after failing to show up to a meeting on time.
The senior guard sat out the first six minutes, but his teammates picked up the slack as the Bears jumped out to an early 16-6 advantage and eventually led by as many as 29. They took a 59-34 lead into the half.
Unable to mount any type of sustained run, things only got worse for the seventh-seeded ‘Niners (19-14) after the break, as the No. 4 Bears (19-14) outscored LBSU 53-32.
Brady Heslip was unconscious from behind the 3-point line, knocking down six out of eight long range jumpers in the first half alone.
“We had seen Heslip shoot before,” LBSU head coach Dan Monson said. “We had film. But we didn’t compete defensively, and it is really disappointing to end like that.”
The junior guard ended the night with a game-high 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field (all on threes) and 2-of-3 from the free-throw line.
Heslip led the balanced scoring attack as one of seven Bears in double figures, and Baylor outshot the Beach 60.6 percent to 34.4 on the night.
Monson added that his team just wasn’t prepared for the game or active enough once it began.
“In 30 years of doing this, this is as non-competitive as I’ve ever had a team,” he said. “I’m embarrassed, and it’s my fault because as the coach you have to get teams ready to play in these types of situations, and obviously we weren’t ready to play.”
Kris Gulley paced The Beach with a team-high 13 points and five rebounds off the bench while juniors Tony Freeland and Keala King added 12 points apiece for the 49ers.
Big West Player of the Year and professional prospect James Ennis finished his collegiate career by extending his double-figure scoring streak to 38 games with 10 points. He also had three steals, an assist and a rebound.
The highlight of the night for The Beach came when Ennis snuck into the passing lane, stole the ball and converted a thunderous reverse two-handed jam.
The senior guard said on Monday that the NIT was his final chance for national exposure, as he hopes to be playing at the highest level soon.
“Hopefully I’ll get a job in the NBA,” he said. “That’s my goal, just keep working. No days off, just stay in the gym.”
Baylor will go on to face third-seeded Arizona State (22-12) in the second round of the NIT.